Annual Report 2005-2006 - Osgoode Hall Law School - York ...

one Promotion file was processed and completed. This year, three files for Tenure and Promotion to the
rank of Associate Professor were processed and completed. Professors Sonia Lawrence, Ikechi Mgbeoji and
Peer Zumbansen were tenured and promoted to Associate Professor effective July 1, 2006. In addition, two
files for Promotion to Full Professor were processed and completed. Professors Doug Hay and Jinyan Li
were promoted to Full Professor effective July 1, 2006. The new process and the number of candidates
impose significant administrative pressure on the Associate Dean’s office, in managing the files and meeting
the various deadlines. In addition, there is less opportunity than under the old system for faculty to focus
on and celebrate the accomplishments of colleagues going through the process. Partly to address that
concern, the Dean hosted a celebratory lunch for the newly tenured faculty on April 5, 2006, and it is
anticipated that another event will be held for those promoted to Full Professor in the fall.
This year’s Adjudicating Committee also attended to the drafting of local standards under the new Senate
Tenure and Promotions procedures. Based on the experience of these first files, a draft was prepared and
discussed among this year’s Committee members as well as with Professor Bruce Ryder, the former chair
of the Senate Tenure & Promotions Committee. The draft was also circulated to faculty members and sent
to the Osgoode Hall Faculty Association for comments. The draft standards will now be forwarded to the
Senate Tenure & Promotions Committee for review.
Tenure and Promotions will remain a busy area in 2006-07. One file for Promotion to Full Professor is
currently being adjudicated, with a promotion anticipated to be effective for January 1, 2007. Three files
of candidates for tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate Professor will be adjudicated in the fall
term of 2006. With the new faculty appointments, it is expected that this will continue to be a busy area
for the Associate Dean’s office.
Report of the Office of the Assistant Dean (First Year)
The Office of the Assistant Dean (First Year) emphasized two central priority areas in the 2005-06
session: the Academic Success Program and Curriculum Support. Due to the activities of the Curriculum
Reform Working Group, of which the Assistant Dean (First Year) is a member, we are not planning any
major new initiatives in the 2006-07 term. We will continue our past programming with only minor shifts
as indicated by previous experience.
A. Academic Support Program
In 2005-06, the Academic Support Program consisted of several smaller undertakings, the combination
of which provided a very effective introduction to legal studies for our students. The components of the
Academic Support Program are as follows:
1. Academic Skills Sessions
In 2005-06, the Office of the Assistant Dean (First Year) coordinated a number of Academic Skills
Sessions during the early weeks of both the fall and winter semesters. While the content of these sessions
varies annually, this past year our students benefited from two sessions facilitated by Mr. Justice Marvin
Catzman of the Ontario Court of Appeal, who spoke of concepts central to understanding the study and
practice of law. We also piloted a successful session on wellness issues, facilitated by Assistant Dean Gina
Alexandris early in the fall term, that provided first -year students with a number of effective suggestions
for avoiding some of the most debilitating reactions to the widely experienced stress of law school.
In the 2006-07 academic term, we plan to run a series of five sessions, three in the fall and two in the
winter. Building on the success of the wellness session last year, each session will twin a legal analysis
topic with a wellness topic, to help our students achieve balance in their lives and studies.
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